A peculiar trend of Gamescom week was a flurry of licensed tactics games; Star Wars Zero Company‘s launch was accompanied by the reveal of both Rainbow Six Tactics and Worms Galactic Tactics. While I’m reliably informed that the former is an excellent addition to the Rainbow Six franchise, I’m here to reliably inform you that the latter is such an obvious use of the Worms identity that it feels like it should have existed for years.

In decades of being a turn-based strategy series that’s experimented with all kinds of different gameplay formulae and camera angles, Worms has somehow avoided the isometric, grid-based perspective that dominates the tactics genre. Unsurprisingly, a series that already had the vast majority of important constituent parts in place doesn’t exactly struggle with the addition of those remaining ideas that fully transform it into this new genre. But, this isn’t a cheap twist on the established formula – it’s a smartly thought-out adaptation that’s made to fit perfectly with what Worms has already been for years.

Worm-like

Galactic Tactics pits your worms squad against increasingly difficult teams of enemy worms. Abducted and forced to fight in a gauntlet of gladiatorial games on an alien planet, your worms must battle it out in randomized arenas, at first using their basic weaponry – a bazooka, a ray gun, and a fire punch melee attack – to dispatch a lowly pair of enemies.

Win that first battle, and you earn cash which can be used on weapon upgrades to help you in subsequent fights. Lose too much health, however, and you’ll need to waste resources in the Medbay to ensure you’re not immediately dispatched by the opening exchanges of the next round. Lose every worm, and your run at the top prize is over, and you start again from the first round of the competition.

Beyond that first round, my fights are strictly 3v3 affairs, but Galactic Tactics tips the scales towards your opponent over time by granting ever more powerful types of enemy worms. In one round, the ‘Boffin’ worm begins with a shield that absorbs the first shot they take. In another, the Sargeant’s armor means he takes less damage, and then deals more when he dips below half health. It’s a clever way of increasing challenge without it feeling like a cheap buffing-up of enemy’s health bars or damage numbers.

As the odds turn against me, I have my own tools to level the playing field. Coins earned from killing enemies quickly and picking up supply crates in round mean that I can buff my weaponry – even after having to pay to resurrect my unfortunate melee fighter twice. These upgrades can seem minor in isolation, some of them not even affecting weapon damage, but accrue enough, and build paths begin to emerge. Clearly, the depth of a true roguelike deckbuilder isn’t what Galactic Tactics is going for, but I’m keen to see what happens when multiple upgrades begin to stack up as runs go on.

Terrain is also an important tool. Galactic Tactics relies on a tile-based grid, but using elevation effectively can be the difference between worm-life and worm-death. As in the older games, you can hide behind tiles to block enemy shots, but a smartly-aimed projectile can still deal damage. Worms flung into the gradually-rising water around the arena by nearby explosions will die instantly, meaning holding the high ground is crucial.

But, sometimes it’s worth stepping off the safety of a high tower to seek out medkits or item crates, which offer powerful single-use weapons or gadgets that persist between rounds. In traditional Worms, those could often turn the tide of a battle, but in Galactic Tactics’ tight arenas they’re deadly, blowing huge chunks out of the map and leaving gaping holes down to the water.

I do find myself wishing that some of the displacement effects were more powerful – I missed the feeling of smacking an enemy worm miles off-screen with a baseball bat or a well-placed banana bomb – but a Holy Hand Grenade remains satisfying no matter how many worms get dispatched in the explosion.

Worms Galactic Tactics is an obvious addition to an enduring series. It won’t be the most complex or punishing strategy game – a generous undo system means you’re unlikely to inadvertently stumble into disaster, and dead worms can be resurrected at minimal cost for next round – but it’s a clever twist that understands both parts of its core formula well, and one I’m keen to explore the depth of in a full run.

Worm your way to more tactical fun with our best strategy games recommendations!